I woke up to Graham yelling for me at 2 am this morning. It took him another two hours to get him settled back down. He had a slight temp – 100 degrees. We gave ibuprofen.

He slept in a bit this morning, but not too much. He seemed ok at first, tired, but that was to be expected. Then the fever was back – this time 100.5. So, we called the pediatrician. No messing around. He’s hardly ever sick. Our nephew was coming, Grace is Grace, and we just needed to find out what was going on.

Graham was reluctant to go to the doctor, but a cell phone with Jake the Pirate playing to watch on the way there sealed the deal. I told the nurse what was happening and a bit later the doctor came in. I put Graham up on the big table and we talked about the night, the fever, the runny nose he’s had. When she went to begin examining him he told me that I should go sit on the chairs. He would be ok with the doctor on his own. Such a big boy move – it twisted my heart a bit. He talked to her, answering her questions. It was entertaining to see him figure out how to say ahh when she looked in his throat.

When she was done she told me that he looked great but his throat/tonsils were a little red, a little inflamed. She went on to say that we just needed to wait and watch. But almost immediately after she’d said that she said “But I think we should do a finger test just in case, because of your sister.” And I think what she meant was… I hate to put him through this, but we need to know what we are dealing with so we can be taking care of Grace.

“We have two kids” I responded shaking my head. She laughed with me as I put my head down. I know that’s its really only the beginning of Graham being put through something because Grace is his sister.

When the nurse came in to poke his finger he did decide that it would be ok to sit on my lap. At least he’s not all grown up yet! He did not enjoy the finger poke. He cried and I could see every single tear. The blood came so fast it dripped on me. He was not at all comforted by the fact that when we were done he would get a new fun band-aid. (This is a kid who loves a band-aid.) I felt horrible that he had to do it – I held him and kissed his cheek and when it was all done found a distraction for him. He held the bandaged finger up to the doctor when she came back in the room showing her the assault he had suffered. The blood work confirmed a virus. Since that’s the most we can know at this point we kept him home today. He mostly wanted to snuggle, watch a movie, and sleep. He asked to nap (this never happens).

All day he’s walked around with that finger held out – he’s doesn’t want to use it. When we wash his hands we have to be careful not to get the band-aid wet. We’ve had a few conversations today about how it hurts to have your finger pricked, but sometimes, not all the time, this happens when you go to the doctor.

Today it’s a poke to the index finger and few drops of blood because of Grace. Other days it’s a trip to the zoo, a ride on the train, and a cookie because of Grace. It’s both.

“We are raising two kids” I told the doctor. I want so badly for them to be good for each other.